ntic City over Sunday, now that you're free? I know
those two girls would be tickled to death to go, especially Athalie.
She's a Westerner, you know, and has never seen the ocean."

"All right, come on, only you must promise there won't be any scrapes
that will get me into the papers and blow back to Bryne Haven. You know
there's a lot of Bryne Haven people go to Atlantic City this time of year
and I'm not going to have any stories started. _I'm going to marry Ruth
Macdonald!_"

"All right. Come on."

II

Ruth Macdonald drew up her little electric runabout sharply at the
crossing, as the station gates suddenly clanged down in her way, and sat
back with a look of annoyance on her face.

Michael of the crossing was so overcareful sometimes that it became
trying. She was sure there was plenty of time to cross before the down
train. She glanced at her tiny wrist watch and frowned. Why, it was fully
five minutes before the train was due! What could Michael mean, standing
there with his flag so importantly and that determined look upon his
face?

She glanced down the platform and was surprised to find a crowd. There
must be a special expected. What was it? A convention of some sort? Or a
picnic? It was late in the season for picnics, and not quite soon enough
for a college football game. Who were they, anyway? She looked them over
and was astonished to find people of every class, the workers, the
wealthy, the plain every-day men, women and children, all with a waiting
attitude and a strange seriousness upon them. As she looked closer she
saw tears on some faces and handkerchiefs everywhere in evidence. Had
some one died? Was this a funeral train they were awaiting? Strange she
had not heard!

Then the band suddenly burst out upon her with the familiar wail:

There's a long, long trail awinding,
Into the land of our dreams,--

and behind came the muffled tramping of feet not accustomed to marching
together.

Ruth suddenly sat up very straight and began to watch, an unfamiliar awe
upon her. This must be the first draft men just going away! Of course!
Why had she not thought of it at once. She had read about their going and
heard people mention it the last week, but it had not entered much into
her thoughts. She had not realized that it would be a ceremony of public
interest like this. She had no friends whom it would touch. The young men
of her circle had all taken warn